Trade shows & events — France
UAV Show 2026: Bordeaux drone trade show changes dimension
A trade show that is changing scale
The curtain has come down on the ninth edition of the UAV Show. From 7 to 9 October 2026, the Palais 2 l'Atlantique in Bordeaux hosted 140 exhibitors across more than 7,000 m², and the Demo Day then took place at Sainte-Hélène aerodrome, operated by CESA Drones. The organisers, Bordeaux Technowest and Bordeaux Events and More, are announcing 4,500 professionals, a 31% rise in attendance compared with 2025. For an event that moved to an annual rhythm this year, that is a sizeable change.
Five figures sum up this edition: 140 exhibitors, +50% exhibition space, more than 7,000 m², 4,500 professionals and 12 flight demonstrations. The return of Thales and Safran, absent from previous editions, was the talking point, alongside Delair, TEKEVER, Hologarde, FLY-R, DSV, KNDS France and Dassault Systèmes.
Attendance rose by 31% year on year, after a 2025 edition that was already up 50%. The two-part format explains part of this momentum: two days of stands and conferences at the Palais 2 l'Atlantique, then a full day of real flights at a test site. The organisers also confirmed what comes next: the next event in autumn 2027, opening up to maritime and ground applications. In other words, the UAV Show no longer wants to be a trade show for aerial drones alone.
Hercules 100, the most spectacular announcement
The most talked-about new product came from Drone Volt, which unveiled its Hercules 100 in flight on 9 October at Sainte-Hélène. The Île-de-France manufacturer claims a 100 kg payload for 30 minutes, with a maximum take-off mass of 197 kg. The aircraft is an octocopter with redundant propulsion, a triple-redundant flight controller, RTK GPS, an obstacle-avoidance radar and a terrain-following LiDAR. Two 24S solid-state batteries power it, for a maximum speed of 36 km/h in mission.
The platform is foldable (1,660 × 1,060 × 720 mm) and can be transported in a pick-up, which allows it to be deployed from a forward area. It accepts an automated 80 kg winch, to lower a load without landing, or a hook with a 30-metre sling. On site, the demonstration focused mainly on stability: despite a 100 kg load on the sling, the swinging was compensated in real time and the release was carried out without any visible jolt.
Two caveats, which the manufacturer does not hide. First, the 30-minute endurance is a claimed figure, which will depend on the weather and operating conditions. Second, civil use means clearing the regulatory hurdle: Drone Volt is working on the first CONOPS and on their assessment using the SORA method, a prerequisite for authorisation requests in the specific category. The first expected users are the armed forces and civil protection, for delivering pumps, hoses, medical equipment, batteries or food to isolated sites.
Counter-drone, the theme dominating the show
It was hard to walk the aisles without coming across a counter-drone solution. The conference programme devoted a round table to it, explicitly presented as "highly dual-use", with the Defence and Aerospace Chair of the University of Bordeaux, Dassault Systèmes and the 61st Artillery Regiment. The Demo Day ran a series of detection and neutralisation sequences with Hologarde and MyDefence, and TEKEVER's demonstration of its AR3 tactical drone.
Two announcements deserve to be singled out. Hologarde (a subsidiary of the ADP group) was presenting Orange Drone 360, developed with Orange Business, a counter-drone "as a service" offering built on the operator's telecoms infrastructure. Alongside it, the company is showing HoloSafe for the protection of critical infrastructure and Clearance for managing missions and flight authorisations. Among the start-ups, SkyKraken, incubated by Bordeaux Technowest, was showing a portable detector in a case, with passive RF, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth reception, deployable in under five minutes and able to locate the pilot on the ground.
The exhibitors' pitch reflects a market shift. The threat is evolving faster than the available detection means, and drones controlled by fibre optic, silent in radio frequency, are cited as the next obstacle. A second observation: counter-drone protection remains concentrated on large sites able to invest several hundred thousand euros. Making detection mobile and affordable is becoming a commercial argument in its own right.
What is left for civil uses
On the civil side, no spectacular technological breakthrough, but clearly identified uses. Spraying and firefighting drones were represented by Aeotic, with a spray-firefighting drone and a "hornet" drone. The drone-based perimeter surveillance of the Pandrone AI programme, led by ESTIA and presented on the Bordeaux Technowest stand, illustrates the same logic: autonomous building blocks designed for industrial and airport sites, transferable elsewhere. Cargo also got its demonstration with SkyDrone Robotics, on load-carrying and release manoeuvres.
Nine start-ups supported by the technopole exhibited on the collective pavilion: Atelier Silfra, Digipair, ETIK Innovation, INDROX, Outrevol, SkyKraken, Stratomaps, Thucya and x721 France. There were French-made FPV propellers, mapping and detection. For an inspection or mapping operator, it is these building blocks, more than the military platforms, that make a trip to Bordeaux worthwhile.
One question of proportion remains. Before the show, the director of Bordeaux Technowest put the exhibitor split at around 60% defence-oriented, 25% dual-activity and 15% mainly civil. After the edition, the organisation speaks of more than 80% of the exhibition offering coming under defence and dual use. The two measurements do not cover exactly the same scope, but the trend is clear. The technical building blocks useful for civil applications (autonomy, GPS-free navigation, secure communications, embedded AI) are now developed first for defence needs.
A cautionary note to finish on the attendance figures: the 4,500 professionals and the 140 exhibitors come from the organisers. The count includes exhibitors and delegations, and does not allow the share of strictly civil visitors to be measured.
Five agreements were also signed during the show, committing Bordeaux Technowest over the long term. The most structuring runs until 2030 with Bordeaux Airport: collaborative research, regional cooperation on other aerodromes, technology sourcing and sharing of expertise. From 2027, the airport is to join the JONCTION programme, and a study for a consortium around counter-drone activity is planned. The four other signatures concern Aerospace Valley, the UIMM Gironde-Landes, the Communauté de Communes des Grands Lacs and the Jeunes IHEDN. The agreement with the UIMM carries a concrete project: La Forge, an incubator for industrial start-ups based at the Maison de l'Industrie in Bruges, becomes Bordeaux Technowest's tenth technopole site. For a drone project leader looking for a workshop and production skills, this is probably the most useful piece of information of the week. It remains to be seen whether the opening to maritime and ground announced for 2027 really broadens the audience, or whether it extends the same trajectory of dualisation.
Frequently asked questions
When and where was the UAV Show 2026 held?
From 7 to 9 October 2026, at the Palais 2 l'Atlantique in Bordeaux for the first two days, then at Sainte-Hélène aerodrome for the Demo Day on 9 October.
How many visitors and exhibitors?
More than 4,500 professionals and 140 exhibitors according to the organisers, across more than 7,000 m² of exhibition space, with 12 flight demonstrations.
What new products were presented?
Drone Volt's Hercules 100 cargo drone, unveiled in flight with a claimed 100 kg payload, the Orange Drone 360 counter-drone offering from Hologarde and Orange Business, and the SkyKraken portable detector.
Is the show reserved for defence?
No, but defence and dual use now dominate the exhibition offering. Civil uses remain represented: agricultural spraying, firefighting, perimeter surveillance, mapping and cargo.
When will the next edition take place?
In October 2027, for a tenth edition announced as extended to maritime and ground drones.
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